Finding Comfort
by jeannyboy
Summary: A series of one-shots for Jearmin week. Takes place either in canon after Chapter 59, or otherwise stated. After all they've been through, Jean and Armin can only find comfort in each other.
1. Day 1: Protect

**A/N: I have each of these written out already, they have been posted on both tumblr and AO3, but I figured why not post them on here as well? **

**Day 1 - Protect**

"Armin, can I talk to you?" Jean said, pulling Armin away briefly from their squad.

"Uh…sure yeah." Armin replied nervously. He knew what this was going to be about, and he was still having trouble coming to terms with it, even though Levi's words had helped considerably. Jean led him by the wrist to a separate area out of view from the others, where they could have some privacy. Things had been so hectic at the moment, neither of them had been able to talk about things since it happened, so much was left unsaid between them, but they both knew what the other was thinking.

"Armin, I…" Jean started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I can't thank you enough for what you did back there. No one else could have saved me, but you did. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for that." Jean came clean, his words coming out fast and jumbled as he shuffled his hands. This was hard for him, putting his emotions out there, but he needed Armin to know how grateful he was.

"Jean, I'm not going to lie, that was one of the easiest things I've done. I didn't think anything else of it, My first instinct was to save you. I… It's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind, I just wanted you safe. If that woman had just been a hair faster.. I…" Armin said, just as nervous as Jean, but at the mention of the woman he murdered, Armin looked away and fought back tears.

Seeing the watery tint to his bright blue eyes, Jean felt a jolt of pain through his chest. Without saying anything, he put his hand on Armin's shoulder comfortingly. At this, Armin looked up and saw Jean, just as scared as he was.

"I don't know what's going to happen when we try to save Eren. I don't know if those jerks come back and try to kill us, but Armin, someday I'll protect you the way you did back there. I won't ever forget it." Jean's words came easier to him now, the wall hiding his emotions was put aside for now, he needed to comfort his friend.

Armin, in a moment of need and bravery, wrapped his arms around Jean and pulled him in a tight embrace. "Just don't scare me like that again." Armin almost whimpered against his chest."

Jean tightened his hold even further, "I promise I won't."

They stayed in that embrace for a long time. Jean rubbing small circles against Armin's back with his fingers, Armin finding comfort in Jean's arms. It wasn't until Sasha called them back to make plans, before they finally broke apart.

"Thanks Jean." Armin said, discreetly trying to wipe at his eyes.

"Don't worry about it Armin, without Eren here, someone needs to look after you right?" Jean teased, ruffling Armin's gold hair.

"Hey, I can look out for myself thank you." Armin joked with a small laugh. "And you seem to forget that I've saved you three times, so don't talk like that."

"Right, I guess you have. What would I do without you Armin?" Jean said, the serious air that had just surrounded them was now gone, replaced with a friendly playfulness.

"Well you'd definitely be dead."

"True. just stick to my side alright? Now that you've saved me, I gotta make sure I can return the favor." Jean followed up with wrapping an arm around him and pulling him close to his side. Armin laughed, but he was glad that he could conceal the slight blush that had stained his cheeks.

"Right, I'll probably just end up saving you again." Armin and Jean both found themselves back with the others, but Armin was still aware that Jean had kept his arm draped over Armin the whole time, and he tried to conceal a smile, but his comrades had already noticed it.

"God Jean, just get a room you two. We don't want to see you two groping each other like that." Connie said with an evil smirk. This effectively caused both of them to jump nearly a foot away from each other and sit down with the others. The attention then went back to getting Eren, but the words they exchanged between them were not forgotten, and it was an unspoken agreement between them, one would always protect the other.


	2. Day 2: Lucid Dreaming

**A/N: Again, kind of set in the canon universe, not long after Armin shot that woman. Could be considered events after the first part, you can decide for your own.**

**Day 2 - Lucid Dreaming**

Armin was dreaming. He could feel his eyes shut and his body breathing, but he knew that he was asleep. Cautiously, he opened his eyes. He tested out his left arm, curling his fingers into his palm to experiment. While he could control his fingers, he could hardly lift his head off the ground. From what he could see, they were at the hideout Levi's squad found last night. He saw Jean next to him, and Connie on his other side.

He knew he was dreaming, because there was no possible way for Connie to suddenly look over at him with the same face as a titan. He could not move, yet the face of the titan scared him half to death. He called out, and Jean sprang up from his sleeping position. Well, more like rose from the ground without moving his chest. He suddenly went from horizontal to vertical, and with swords now in his hands, that had come out of nowhere, he cut the head off of the Connie-titan.

Armin found he could now move, and got up to stand beside Jean. He spoke words to Armin that didn't register as words, but he knew in his head that Jean's point was basically to keep alert, there were more titans around.

Observing his surroundings, Armin saw the hideout just as it had been before they fell asleep. The fire in the center was blazing just as it had been before. Armin thought that they had put it out before they all went to sleep, but that was impossible. He must have been mistaken.

The light of the moon suddenly went out with the fire, and Jean and Armin were plunged into darkness. Armin felt his heart race, and Jean's presence beside him faded, leaving Armin all alone. He heard a quiet growl from behind him, but when he turned, he couldn't see a thing. A hiss issued from his left side, but he was still blind.

Armin heard various noises from around him, more than not they sounded agitated, like they were going to strike any moment. They kept getting closer, until he heard a shaky, rabid sort of breathing right behind his ear, the breath from the creature tickling his earlobe.

He jumped away from the creature, only to find himself in the grasp of a titan. Armin thrashed back and forth, but it's grip was too tight. It lifted him off the ground, and suddenly there was light. He screamed, the titan holding him was not like any titan he had ever seen, it had twisted features, red eyes, and it's mouth was dripping blood.

It moved Armin towards it's mouth, but stopped, as a flash shot behind it, and it fell to the ground. Jean had killed the nightmarish titan.

"Jean, thank you so much." Armin said, to which Jean smiled.

"No problem Armin, I…" but his words were cut off as a woman hiding in the shadows ran out and shot Jean in the face at point blank range. Blood spilled all over the ground, and Armin saw his body covered in blood. Jean was truly dead, and this time Armin had been unable to save him.

"No! No, no… no…" Armin cried as he felt the world fade into mist around him. He bolted upright all of the sudden, and he suddenly became aware of his true surroundings.

The hideout was the same as it had been but different. The fire was out, there was no titan, he had just been dreaming. The reality of the dream had frightened him, but Armin was still not settled when he came to. The events of the past week were still haunting him, along with that frighteningly vivid dream.

It was then that he noticed a hand on his shoulder, another one on his chin, and he recognized the mousy hair of his friend. The same one he had just seen murdered right in front of him. Without a word of explanation, Armin threw his arms around Jean, hiding his face in the crook of his neck, and he let the tears begin to fall. Jean's arms wrapped around him just as tight, worried about what his friend had just been dreaming.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Jean asked quietly, stroking Armin's golden hair softly. Armin shook his head. Jean was itching with curiosity at what Armin had been dreaming, but not enough that he wanted his friend to relive whatever had just happened. From the way Armin had thrashed around in his sleep, accidentally knocking Jean in the head for an unexpected wake up call, Jean could tell that Armin must've had a nighmare. He cried out the word no several times right before he woke up, so it was most likely pretty bad.

"I watched you die. I couldn't save you this time." Armin cried, hot tears Jean only held him tighter, he knew Armin needed the support.

"Shh… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Jean reassured him. Armin looked up at him for a moment, sharp blue eyes stained red with tears, nodding appriciatively, before pulling away.

"Armin, you did what you had to. Don't beat yourself up for this, you did the right thing. There was…" Armin interrupted when he placed a chaste kiss on Jean's forehead.

"I know what I did. I know that it will haunt me for as long as I live. But I also know that if I had to do it again, to kill a stranger to save you, I would do it in a heartbeat." Jean was speechless. he was glad that it was dark out and Armin couldn't see the massive blush that was spreading from Armin's actions and his words. He had come to terms with his feelings for the blond a while ago, but Armin never failed to make his heart race faster than if a titan were chasing him.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep?" Jean asked. Armin shook his head. He didn't want to risk having another lucid dream like that, it was just too real. It was the first time he had gotten one, and it was even worse than a usual run-of-the-mill nightmare.

"It looks like dawn isn't too far off, I'll stay up with you."Jean said, scooting closer to Armin, wrapping him up in a cloak they now shared. Morning came a little over an hour later, and when the rest of Levi's squad woke up, they were caught off guard.

Huddled under one cloak, Armin had fallen asleep curled around Jean, who had his arms wrapped protectively around him. Since no one in Levi's squad had the nerves to wake them up, they woke up an hour later, still holding on to each other as if the other one would be gone at any moment, but this time, there were no nightmares.


	3. Day 3: Dishonesty

**A/N: This is set in a modern AU, and yes it seems bad at first but just stick it out I promise.**

**Day 3: Dishonesty**

"Hey Armin, sorry I'll be home a bit later, Levi wanted me to file some paperwork, and Eren wanted to go bowling. I wish I could be there, keep dinner warm for me! Oh, and, happy anniversary Armin, I love you." Jean's voicemail ended with a click. Armin tried to keep it together. It wasn't like Jean to skip out on something important like this. Normally he'd be hanging around Armin all day, but there was something off lately. He had been staying late for almost every day this week, all for one reason or another.

"Oh the guys are taking us all out to dinner," "Sorry, Sasha wanted me to help plan her wedding," "The printer was jammed, and all the guys had already left." Armin had heard every excuse under the sun, and he was getting more and more frustrated. He had hardly seen Jean all week, and Armin was feeling like Jean was just blowing him off for, dare he even think about it, someone else.

Armin's job at the local university took up his time, but with Jean working at a local law firm, he didn't think that it would occupy so much time. They had been living together for two years now, and had been dating for five. Armin thought it best for them to take things slower, but he was starting to think that he had been a bit harsh on Jean, but they had been together for so long, he thought nothing was wrong.

By the time Jean finally got home, Armin had finished his dinner, and was sitting in the living room angrily flipping through channels. Jean could sense how agitated his partner was, it came easily from their years together. This time was different. Never before had Armin completely ignored him when Jean got home. Even if they had been through a fight, there had been some acknowledgement, but this time he had gone to far.

"Armin?" Jean asked cautiously, approaching the couch slowly. Armin didn't turn around, instead just kept ignoring him. "Armin I'm sorry this week has been busy, but it's our fifth anniversary, please, just say something."

"What do you want me to say Jean? That I forgive you? You've been gone every single day this week! I've hardly seen you at all! Five years is a lot Jean, why is it that you've only been busy just now? Work has never held you up this much! Are you hiding something from me?" Armin started yelling, getting up from the couch. Jean backed towards the wall in fear, his eyes widening at Armin's mention of hiding something.

"You are hiding something! I knew it! What's his name huh? Is it your friend Marco? Yeah he's real nice.. Or is it a girl? What about Sasha? I've heard she's pretty." Armin yelled further, and Jean slunk to the floor, he had never seen Armin get this worked up, and it frightened him more than anything.

"I haven't been seeing anyone else. It's only ever been you Armin." Jean said, his eyes wide and brimming with tears. Their relationship had been perfect, and for Armin to be nearly screaming in his face, it was more than he could handle.

"Then why did you miss our anniversary dinner?" Armin asked, backing off a bit. Jean tensed, he wasn't ready yet, this wasn't what he had planned!

"I… uhh….. well you see I… um…"

"What have you been lying to me about?!" Armin spoke forcefully.

"Ijustfiguredsincewe'vebeengoingoutforsolongweshouldmakeitmorepermenantsoIwasshoppingforsomethingtogiveyouandI'vebeenlookingallweekbutIdon'tknowifnowistherighttime." Jean spit out all at once, his voice timid and frightened, his speech hardly making any sense to Armin.

"What?" Armin's voice softened, he caught bits and pieces, but he couldn't believe his ears.

"Armin… since we've been together so long… Willyoumarryme?" he said the last part so fast, if Armin had known him any less, he wouldn't have thought. His blue eyes widened in realization. Jean had been shopping for a ring.

"Yes, you stupid…" Armin kissed Jean. "Idiotic… horse-faced…. lazy…. potato of a boyfriend." Armin kissed him in-between each word. Jean laughed into each kiss, pulling him in close. He loved this Armin, the Armin he fell in love with. The sensitive, intelligent, brave, book-smart, nerd who could mindfuck anyone he wanted. He never wanted to see him angry again, so right there, in his embrace, Jean vowed to never be dishonest with Armin ever again.


	4. Day 4: Fantasy

**A/N: This is set in another AU, think fantasy world kind of. This one is the longest and focuses mainly on Armin, but Jean does come in later, rest assured.**

**Day 3: Fantasy**

Armin watched the crowd from where he hid in the shadows. The crowd consisted mostly of merchants, coming in to town to sell of their overpriced goods. He saw a merchant go up to a normal man and con him into buying 'exotic spices from a far off land.' Armin had seen it over a hundred times, he knew that it was just ground up flowers out of the healer's garden. There he was pitching 'health benefits.' Armin could hardly believe that this guy even had the nerve to try.

Then again, Armin's career choice was hardly much better. At least he wasn't tricking someone as if they were stupid, he had much more class than that. At last, he saw one of the storekeepers leave on his daily errand, it was Armin's turn to shine.

He watched as the man was lost from his sight, and Armin moved through the crowd. Small and unassuming, he slipped right under people's gazes. He slipped into his shop unseen, and began to 'shop.' He would browse one aisle, slip a few items from the back of the shelf into his cloak, then continue on in no time at all. He went through most of the store and turned to leave, but then he caught sight of the counter. Armin knew where the drawer was that held all the shop's profits. It wouldn't take him more than a few seconds, and it was now or never.

Armin hurried over to the counter and jumped over it with ease, digging out the cash from the drawer, and stuffing it into a bag, the pockets of his cloak were already full. Under normal circumstances he never takes more than he needs, but Armin has been in the thieving business for a long time, and preparing for this trip had taken him more time than expected.

Shutting the drawer in a flurry, Armin leapt over the counter to exit hastily, but he watched in horror as the door opened. He quickly ducked behind an aisle, out of sight. Footsteps creaked across the floor. The next few moments were vital, all Armin needed to do was slip out before the owner noticed…

"Gotcha!" called a man from behind Armin, grabbing his shoulders roughly and pinning him against a shelf. The man that had so rudely assaulted Armin was large, and had a lot of muscles. From what Armin could see from his limited perspective, he wore the seal of the royal court, he was in the military forces.

"So you're the thief we've been trying to catch for months, you're quite the clever kid aren't you?" the man said, spit brushing Armin's ear. He made a face in disgust, but the man couldn't see it from where he was.

Armin knew he would get caught eventually, all thieves did. There was nothing else for him in this world, and his brains had gotten him this far, he had hoped for a few more years, but it's not like anyone else in his family was around to worry about him.

xxxxx

"Well, a life in prison isn't so bad." Armin thought to himself as he scratched another tally into the jail cell. "Who am I kidding? This is awful."

Five days after he was caught, famous thief Armin Arlert was sentenced to life in prison, and sent to rot in one of the safest cells that the kingdom had. They knew of his great intelligence, and they did not want him roaming free once more.

"At least you like me, right?" he asked the rat, nibbling on the leftover bread crumbs from his dinner. The rat squeaked in response and ran off.

"Oh well. Nice to see you again, don't be a stranger!" he replied. It was then that Armin realized he had hit rock bottom. He had been talking to a rat. He hadn't even been in jail a week and his current mental state was losing it's edge.

He smirked as he heard a guard's footsteps come closer, maybe he could fine tune his edge a bit more.

"Here's your water." the guard said plainly, handing him a glass filled with water. This was Armin's chance, he bit his cheek until tears formed in his eyes and put on his acting face.

"Thank you. You don't by any chance think that you could just talk? I haven't seen talked with anyone in so long, and I just feel so lonely!" Armin cried, looking up at him with his big blue eyes. Armin knew that he had the looks of a boy, despite already being an adult, his youthful appearance did have it's perks.

The man's resolve wavered, but he brushed Armin's words off like they were dust. He had been warned of this man's dangerous assets, he was not going to fall prey to his antics. On the first day alone, Armin had somehow been not only let out of his cell, but he had been inches from the gates before he was caught. Their defenses had been much improved upon since then, and only the guards with higher ranks were allowed to even see the prisoner.

"Sir, please take your water." the guard said. Armin switched gears and the boyish innocence was gone. His eyes darkened, tears drying up, and the dirt and grime of the cell giving him an almost demonic look.

"Alright then." he said, his voice dropping in pitch, head tilting slightly. If he couldn't charm his way out, he'd scare the living daylights out of whoever came across him. He was Trost's most infamous thief after all. He took the cup of water, never breaking eye contact with the guard. He had an impressive resolve, Armin would give him that, but he was just waiting for some newbie with a weak constitution to stroll through here and drop his keys by accident.

His luck just wasn't running that high today, and it was only the middle of the afternoon.

xxxxx

After a week Armin was sure he was going to go insane. All of the guards that came were about as emotionally responsive as rocks, and none of them spoke more than a few words to him at best. If he didn't get out soon, he would go insane, alone with his thoughts and nothing to occupy them.

Suddenly a different sort of footsteps approached. Armin had become familiar with the consistent gait of the military with boots, but these sounded less formal, it was someone different. Time to try strategy no. 5: assume a neutral position until you know their weak spot.

Armin didn't move from his spot on the floor, sitting against the wall as if it were completely normal, and he wasn't being held in a top-security cell as a criminal mastermind.

"Armin Arlert." a stuffy voice addressed. This peaked Armin's interest, not once since he has arrived have they used his full name. "Your intelligence has made you quite well-known around our kingdom. Despite your current situation, if you agree to have court with his majesty, your situation could be…. altered." he forced out the last word. He turned his head to look at him at these words, and saw someone much more official looking. They had on proper robes that were clean, and vibrant of color. It was clearly someone close to the king to have so much wealth.

"Why should I help you?" Armin asked. He was not just going to help the kingdom on a will, only to be shut up in a cell when he was done being the king's dog.

"The king is willing to grant you freedom." the man said, but it was clear from the expression on his face, he did not agree with what the king had ordered. Armin's interest was heightened, he disliked having to be the king's dog, but if it gained him his freedom? Armin was willing to do it, and who's to say he was going to follow the king's orders to begin with?

"I'll agree to see the king." Armin said, standing up. He cursed his height sometimes, the man send to retrieve him was much taller than him, and it ruined the effect Armin was trying to give off by being intimidating.

Armin smirked as they released him from his cell, but it quickly faded as they trapped his wrists in handcuffs. He followed them down a hall, up enough stairs to make Armin's thighs burn, all the way to a majestic looking hall. He knew that this was where the king held court, judging from the huge decorated throne at the end of the spacious and ornate room. Leaving that to be none other than the king himself.

"Arlert, Armin. You are now holding court with the king of Trost." another official voice called out. Despite his situation, Armin was impressed with the interior of the castle, and to be meeting with the king himself. Most subjects go their entire life without ever meeting him, and here Armin was, clothed in rags, covered in dirt, forced down on to his knees before the king.

"Armin, rumors of your sharp mind have reached even this royal court. I was impressed when one of my guards arrested you. Caught stealing food? Compared to some of your last ventures, I was surprised to hear something like this would have slipped you up. Needless to say, as reluctant as I am to allow this, I am in need of your skills." Armin listened to the king with rapt attention, not letting any emotion show.

"My son has been kidnapped, I don't know who has done it, but they are demanding a ransom I am unable to pay. Our country has been in debt for some time now, and if I were to send them the money, Trost would descend into anarchy. As much as I love my son, I must also think of the safety of my people."

"If you agree to go on a quest and return him back to me unharmed, you shall be granted freedom, with three years parole of course. You would be free to visit family and friends or do whatever you please within legal limits, or you shall return to jail."

"I accept your offer." Armin would have been a fool to decline an offer like this. The king was surprised for a moment, but continued.

"I must warn you however, the group that has kidnapped my son are not your usual criminals. They claim to be users of 'magic.' I hope that you are able to return my son to me. I will let you off with a warning, if I hear of any illegal actions by your hands, or my son is not returned to me, you shall be deemed an enemy of the crown, and should you ever be captured again, you will be executed." the king finished. Armin's mind was going a mile a minute.

If he just rescued the prince and brought him back, he would be home free. Well, to a certain degree. The king must have accounted for Armin not wanting to do it, and this could backfire and Armin could die. Even if he was released on parole, Armin had no one to go back to. He was just a name whispered among travelers and curious children. News of his arrest would have made it's way around the kingdom by now, his reputation was extinct. There was no life for him, no family or friends still alive, even if he finished the mission, he wouldn't be able to return to his life before. He had nothing to lose.

xxxxx

The king's royalty had given him basic enough provisions so he wouldn't have to shop for anything. The location of the kidnapper's hideout was three day's walk from the castle, and Armin's return was expected to be in one week's time, or he would be labeled an enemy of the kingdom, unless there was certain proof he was somehow killed whilst completing his mission.

Armin left for their camp from the castle later that day. Already, he had been conceiving his real plan to decieve the king and take the ransom for himself. It would not be an easy feat, but as more and more details came into place, Armin knew he could pull it off. He just had to convince the kidnappers he wasn't a threat, then take their place. He would fake his death and while still holding the prince captive, force the king to pay the ransom on his son's life.

Sometimes Armin loved being a tactical genius. He smoothed out the details to his plan as he traveled through town and out to the countryside. Even though he was outside that cell, Armin's life wasn't too much different. Despite giving him provisions, Armin still lived off of food he stole, or pickings from a farmer's field he happened to pass by.

It wasn't that Armin was unhappy with his life, he just began to realize how utterly alone he was. He had nothing, but he knew he had to keep going with his plan. With that money, he could run away and start a new life, maybe even start his own kingdom.

The three days passed by quickly at the pace Armin traveled. He did not sleep for long, always back on the road before the sun had fully risen. Armin was eager to finish his mission and begin a new life. He now had purpose, a reason to keep going. If this succeeded, it would be the biggest heist he had ever managed, but the reward would be greater than anything he had ever achieved before.

On the third night of his travels, Armin could see a camp set up a mile from his position, where they had a fire going. Fools, the smoke from even a small fire could be easily seen from miles away, it was almost as if they had been expecting him to arrive. That was no matter, Armin was the expert at traveling unseen through the night, and this was no exception.

He finally arrived just outside of their camp, and he couldn't help but notice how incredibly noisy they were, anyone could've discovered where they were. He walked around them once, observing all he could.

They had about ten people with them, but there was no sign of the prince himself. Armin's best guess was that they were hiding him somewhere tied up, but he would have to find him. It would be a hard task to search the entire forest for one prince, so he elected to follow a different plan.

After thirty minutes of patience, Armin was rewarded when one member of the group broke off and headed to the forest, most likely to relieve himself. Now was his chance. Armin followed the man into the shadows, staying just out of sight. The second Armin saw the man's defenses go down, he attacked. Armin knew that he was small in stature, but there were ways of fighting to pit the man's strength against himself, and that was just what he did.

To Armin's surprise, the man went down without much of a fight. It was only when the man smiled did Armin realize his own mistake. He turned his back on the others in that camp.

Two pairs of hands grabbed him and pulled him off of the guy he had just pinned a second ago. It was too late now, the chances of Armin's plan going right was next to nothing now. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and everything went dark.

xxxxx

When Armin awoke, he found his hands tied behind his back, and he was sitting in the middle of a group of kidnappers.

"Are you working for the king?" one of the kidnappers asked. Armin knew that they would most likely kill him if he told them the truth, so he opted for a small lie.

"No. I'm just a thief, and I happen to camp out in these woods every so often after escaping the king's men. It seemed like you were having quite the party, and I wanted to see what the noise was." Armin replied. It was a good enough lie, not completely untrue, but some details had to be twisted for his safety.

"Then why did you attack Eren when he tried to take a piss?" the voice asked. Armin had forgotten about that, he had to find a good enough excuse to explain his behavior, but that would be more difficult than his last excuse.

"Fine, you caught me. I am a thief, but the king has put a lovely price on your heads, and I figured that if I went back and turned at least one of you in, I could get some reward money, but it looks like it luck wasn't in my favor tonight." He hoped that they wouldn't question him much further, if they kept digging, it would be harder and harder to fabricate a lie.

"I'm not sure whether to believe you or not, but in case you are working with the king, some things need to be set straight." the voice said. He came forward into the light of the fire, and Armin met a dark haired man who was just about as tall as he was, but there was a fierce look about him, and Armin knew not to cross his path.

"First, if you are working with the king, I can assure you that you will never return to his court, we're not fond of the way things have been run around here. Two, the 'prince' you're looking for, is here of his own will. We just gave him that ransom to shut him up. So if you're really here for the prince, brat, then you're sorely mistaken."

"Well it's a good thing I don't like that guy either, now I am curious about one thing, the king said you guys use magic, but that sounds an awful lot like an old wives' tale to me." Armin tried, going along with this guy's plan. The man in front of him, he guessed that he was the leader, stepped forward another step and held his arm out in front of him. A flame suddenly appeared in his hand, he let it drop to the ground, and the ground began to turn green with grass sprouts growing from the bit of fire dropped onto the ground.

It was not every day that Armin was impressed by something, but the magic that had just happened in front of him was more than enough to convince him.

"Alright then, I had no intention of actually going along with the king anyway, who is this prince guy that I came all this way for? Can I meet him?" Armin asked, trying to work his hands out of the bind as discreetly as he could.

"Sure you can meet him, but I wouldn't try to undo those knots, they're sealed with binding magic, so as hard as you may try, they won't come undone unless it's with my hands." the leader replied, Armin cursed internally, this guy wasn't the run-of-the-mill stupid he had to deal with, he'd give him that. "Jean! Why don't you introduce yourself to our little thief here?"

Another hooded figure stepped from the crowd, and revealed himself in the light of the fire. He had messy brown hair with dark roots, and a rather horse-like face if Armin was honest, but there was a certain air about him, one that radiated a sense of rebellion and independence, but also slight fear. He was glad to be disassociated with royalty, but of course he was scared of the consequences of his actions.

"So, my dad sent you to come get me or what?" Jean asked. Armin sighed, it seemed like there was no choice but to be out with the truth. It's not like they were going to hurt him, and if they wanted to, they would've already done it.

"Yeah, he didn't want to pay the ransom, but he wanted someone to fetch his son. It's true I'm a theif..." Wait, Armin agreeed with himself to tell the truth, but he didn't want this much out in the open like that, what was it about this guy that had Armin spilling his guys? "but I was caught and put in a high-security prison cell. I guess they were desperate enough to come to me for help." Dammit, there was no going back now, Armin would have to face the consequences of his words.

"You must have been a pretty good thief to be under such security, and it sounds like you dislike the king as much as we do." Jean said, Armin hated to say it, but he felt a swell of pride as Jean praised his abilities. "We didn't notice you at first, but then Levi said he saw a glimpse of someone spying on the camp, so that's how we caught you." That must have been their leader then, Levi.

The man in question seemed to disapprove of Jean revealing so much about them as well, but said nothing of it.

"Can you use magic too?" the question left Armin's lips beore he could stop it. There was something about this stranger, Jean, he couldn't quite place his finger on it, but it was as if all the walls he had put up around himself all these years were suddenly gone. A strange sort of light began to warm his chest, and it made threatened to make Armin queasy.

"I'm learning, but since I've only been here a couple weeks I can't yet." Jean replied, his hands fidgiting. Armin saw that as Jean was practicing rather hard, but it must not be easy, and was a frustrating task.

"Oy, time to move on, we can't just stay here all night. What's your name anyway, thief?" Levi asked, addressing the last part to Armin.

"It's Armin, Armin Arlert."

"Well Armin, we're not going to leave you here. Are you coming or not?" Levi asked. Armin was taken aback. He had not expected this, to be asked to be invited with the band of kidnappers, or, well, wizards.

"I'll come with you." Armin replied, it was his best option at this point.

"Good, you should be able to move your hands now. Jean, since you two seem to be getting along nicely, show him how things work around here." Levi commanded, then started to boss others around as they put out the fire and packed up supplies to move.

"So, Armin, all you really need to know is that they.. er... we are a group of magic-users who travel the country. Sometimes we'll stop in a town and do jobs for those of us who know about us, and then be on our way. You'll get to know everyone's names eventually, there's quite a group of us." Jean spoke, admiring the camp around him, watching as everybody worked together. Armin could only watch in fascination, the way Jean spoke about it all, it was so endearing. He could hardly believe this same man was born of royalty.

"I mean, well, it doesn't come without hardships, they don't make a lot of money, and we regret to say most of what we live off of is stolen. To think of it, that's probably why they wanted you to join us."

"I couldn't imagine being forced to do anything else." Armin spoke. Jean looked over at him with curiosity, but looked away before Armin could see the way the edge of his lips turned up in a smile.

"I'm impressed that you managed to sneak around our camp like that, Levi only noticed you because he's Levi, but how did you manage that?" Jean asked.

"It comes with the trade I guess."

"Hey Jean, why don't you quit flirting with our pet and come help you lazy bastard!" yelled a voice from across camp. Armin saw rage flicker in Jean's expression at the man's words, and he watched as Jean threw it right back in his face.

"I'm not flirting, at least not I'm not making that stupid face like you do when Mikasa talks to you!" Jean threw back, a smug expression on his face.

"I don't make a face! At least I'm not a spoiled piece of shit like you are! You sleep more than anyone else here combined and get hungry every three hours! You can just shut your trap." the voice yelled.

"Only because I had a proper upbringing, at least my dad didn't use me as a science experiment." Armin could tell that whatever Jean had meant by that, it had been too far, the man he had tackled earlier then came over from wherever he was, and socked Jean right in the jaw. Armin slunk out from the fight that ensued, only to bump into a short, blonde woman that looked strangely like him.

"Oh! Sorry Armin, my name's Christa! I'm glad that you've joined us." she spoke with a voice like sunshine.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you." Armin greeted, the sounds of punching and kicking echoing from behind him.

"Looks like Jean and Eren are fighting again, it's not unusual for them anyway, I wouldn't worry about them too much." Christa said with a smile. Armin didn't mention that he was in any way worried about them, but he brushed it off.

"Hey Christa, this fight's pretty rough, but I'm putting my money on Eren this time around, he looks pretty pissed." spoke a girl coming from around Christa and throwing her arm across her shoulder.

"Hey Ymir, this is Armin." Christa introduced, the tall girl with tan skin looked at Armin strangely.

"Well I kinda gathered that from our pow-wow earlier. Do you want me to grab you a drink?" Ymir offered in such a way that Armin saw as flirtatious.

"No thank you, I was just going over to help Mikasa with the food packs."

"It's Mikasa, do you think she really needs help?" Ymir replied.

"Well I suppose not..." Christa decided.

"So then you can come help me pack our bags." Ymir enticed with a rather devilish grin. Armin suddenly felt uncomfortable, and backed his way out of the situation. To his detrement, he backed into the fight between Eren and Jean. He wasn't hurt, but it ended the fight when he tripped between them.

"Uhhm.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Jean shrugged him off.

"Don't sweat it Armin, Jaeger was just being a prick. Why don't you come help me pack?" Jean asked. Armin agreed, and he didn't miss the angry stare Jean threw over his shoulder.

xxxxx

Armin found that the group was more nocturnal than not. They travled through the night, Armin tagging along with his own belongings next to Jean. Who, despite the occasional narcissism, was actually quite amicable towards Armin. Besides Jean and Christa, most of the group was hesitant towards Armin. They had taken the news that he had been working for the king rather harshly, and it was only Jean that stood between Armin and the distrustful glares of the group.

Levi was another exception. He stood by his descision to allow Armin to join them, and if he saw anyone being outright mean to Armin, he called them out on it.

Once Armin put that aside, he decided that he liked this way of life. He now had people he trusted, that he could talk to. It wasn't like they always got along, but that was what it felt like to be in a family, wasn't it? He brought these thoughts with him as he had a conversation with Jean one night.

"It's funny, I never expected to enjoy being here this much. It's almost like you guys are a family sometimes, the way you bicker and fight." Armin said, sitting with Jean beside the fire. Everyone else had gone to sleep, it was almost morning, but for some reason Armin couldn't bring his mind to a closer for the day. Neither could Jean, so the thief decided to chat with the prince.

"Yeah, I felt the same way too. It was terrifying at first, not knowing where your next bed would be, traveling day by day to new cities and new places, but I'm glad I decided to do it. It's not a decision that anyone can make for you, that's why I think I joined them to begin with."

"At least you had someone with you, I lost everyone. My parents, my grandfather, they were all killed in the riots." Armin confessed. He looked away from Jean, he hadn't ever talked about this with anyone, he was surprised that he could even think of it at a time like this, but he felt so at ease beside Jean, he wasn't worried about it at all any more.

"The riots against the crown? I remember those. I was just a kid, but I remember my mom taking me to the kitchen and hiding me in the pantry. Those were hard times on everyone. I don't ever really miss my dad, but my mom, I can remember going to her once in tears because the kids had been to scared to play with me because I was a prince. She made me lunch, and I remember it was the best thing I had ever tasted." Jean finished. Armin was silent as he listened to Jean, he was amazed at how different they both were, and yet they were still the same. Things that they both rememered, memories held of such a dark time, it surprised Armin how much they were opening up to each other.

"That's really sweet, my mom once baked this apple pie, I swear I'll never forget it, it was like having sunshine in the middle of a storm, but that sounds really weird." Armin stopped, maybe he was getting a little out of hand, talking about these kinds of things with Jean, but he had never really taken a chance to talk to anyone like this, and he was enjoying it too much to stop.

"Yeah, I don't know what it is with mothers, but they always know how to fix the best meals." Jean agreed. Armin felt the cold air of an approaching winter cut through the trees and bring in a chill.

"It's getting cold, here, I've got a blanket we can share." Jean offered, wrapping a blanket around himself and Armin. It also made them both painfully aware of the space they now shared.

"I'm worried I won't fit in here. Why do they even want me here? I'm just a thief." Armin confessed quietly, not even sure if Jean could hear him.

"It's because you're not like anyone else. The others are just scared of you right now, because you're smart. The fact that you can sneak around without any of us knowing for that long is impressive enough, and you always know what someone is thinking, without them saying anything. Like you said, if you didn't have anyone else, then I think this group is perfect for you. Yeah, you don't know magic, but I don't think that's entirely it. We're a group of travelers who don't have any other place to go."

"But you do Jean. You had so much, riches, royalty, servants, why would you give all of that up for a group like this?" Armin asked, looking up to meet Jean's gaze.

"Like you said, there wasn't really anyone else. Everyone was afraid of you. In my case, I was the prince, people only knew my title and my wealth. You had your brains, people were afraid of your intelligence." Armin blinked a few times, for being a complete dumb nut sometimes, Jean had moments of incredible wisdom that shocked Armin every day. It was times like this when Armin even questioned his own intelligence, but Jean saw the bigger picture, the world as it was, where Armin knew facts, things, habits, and objects, he could come up with a plan with ease. It was people like Jean to put the plan in motion, and to keep it together in a time of crisis. This all hit Armin like a train, and he realized just how deep his feelings had began to run for the prince.

Without missing a beat, Armin caught right back up with the deep conversation. "Maybe that's why we're such good friends now, I mean who'd have thought, the prince and the thief, sounds like a bad fairy tale." Armin joked. Jean laughed quietly with him, pulling the blanket tighter around them and pressing up even closer against Jean.

"The thief who tried to rescue the prince, but it turns out the prince didn't need saving to begin with." Jean said, looking into Armin's eyes with affefction.

"It turns out that the thief is the one that needed to be saved." Armin confessed, leaning into Jean's weight against his side. It was true, up to this point Armin had never gotten close to anyone, tried to make any friends, and he had never realized how lonely he had been until Jean came along. A wound that he didn't know existed started to heal, and Armin found himself lost in Jean's softening expression.

"No, that's not true." Jean said, his hand reaching to Armin's face to brush his hair just out of the way to see both of his eyes clearly. "I think they saved each other." he spoke even quieter, his face mere inches from Armin's. Both of their eyes shut somewhere during those words, and then their lips found each other in the dark, guided by Jean's hand under Armin's chin.

Together they moved silently in the dark, kissing each other with all the emotion they had. All the fear, lonlieness and insecurities they had burned into ashes with each passing second. The kisses were hesitant, as if they were still waiting for the other to back off and retreat, but no such thing happened.

Armin was the first to make a braver move, deepening the kiss as he angled his face to reach him better. Jean surpressed a small noise of surprise, but moved his hand from Armin's chin to his neck, where he pressed Armin closer to him, fingers teasing the long blonde tresses that fell past Armin's neck.

They continued like that for some time, coming to the realization that their small friendship had escalated to something much more. It was something that Armin could not analyze and solve, it was not something Jean could've planned for. Over time they would learn more and more about it, but in that moment, in the warmth of the fire and the comfort of each other, they were together. No matter what circumstances they would face, whether it was magicians or a wrathful king, they would face it together.


	5. Day 5: Wedding

Today was finally the day, after months of planning and fussing, the big day had finally arrived. The amount of work that actually goes into a wedding surprised Jean, and was almost more than he could handle. Luckily he had Armin by his side, giving him the stability he needed, and making sure everything worked out, making all the ends meet. It was a busy time for them, but Jean made sure that in all of the mess, Armin was still his at the end of the day.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. Jean woke up that morning with a spring in his step. Today, he, Jean Kirstein, was getting married to the love of his life, Armin Arlert.

With a rather lengthy goodbye, Jean and Armin parted ways before the wedding, and got ready on their own. Eren and Mikasa had come to help Armin in the absence of his family, and Jean's mother had come with his childhood friend Marco.

The tuxedo he had picked out was black with a formal bow tie and tailcoat, even going so far as to have cufflinks. Jean had never even heard of cufflinks before planning his wedding, it was amazing all that he had learned during this process.

"Oh Jean, you look so handsome." his mother cooed as she put the finishing touches on his outfit.

"Knock em' dead Jean." Marco said, shoving his arm jokingly.

"Well I hope not." Jean replied, causing the two with him to laugh. It was a short trip from there to the church where they were going to tie the knot. Jean had originally wanted an outdoor wedding, but Armin was more religious than he was, and in the end Jean didn't care either way as long as Armin was happy.

It was also decided between them that Jean would be walking down the aisle, mostly because he had someone that could walk with him. Armin's grandfather had passed away a few years ago, and both Armin's parents had died in a car accident when he was a child, he was limited to distant relatives he had hardly met, so in the end his half of the church was relatively small, filled mostly with friends of theirs they had made in college.

Jean on the other hand had a much larger family, filling up the other half much more. Of course his mother would be walking him down the aisle. Despite having a big family, once they heard that Jean was indeed marrying another man, many had suddenly found themselves with other places to be, and couldn't make it. This had taken a harsh toll on Jean, but Armin and his mother had eased him through it.

Jean was absent for most of the preparations that had been done for their wedding, seeing as he had to be separated from Armin all day, stupid bad luck of 'seeing the bride.' Even though Armin wasn't a bride, and neither was he. Upon walking into the church. They had originally planned to hide Jean in a separate room separate from his soon-to-be-husband, but that wasn't quite the case.

He must have walked into the wrong room, because in the room he saw, was a half dressed Armin, dressed in nothing but a white undershirt and his boxers. Eren was with him, laying out his suit, but when they saw Jean walking in, they both froze.

"Jean! We're not supposed to see each other before the wedding!" Armin said, trying to hide his own gaze, but Jean was having a harder time with that.

It's not that he hadn't ever seen Armin naked, they had been dating for six years now, but that didn't stop Jean from eyeing him with darker intentions, dressed in so little. It was tempting, if Eren hadn't slapped him in the face and shoved him out of the room, slamming the door in his face while he was at it.

Granted Jean had never got along very well with Eren, but he felt like Eren had just done that mostly to spite him. Muttering a few curse words, Jean went to find another place to wait before the wedding. He only hoped that the bad luck of seeing each other before the wedding was just an old wives' tale.

The time of the wedding finally arrived after what seemed like agonizing pain for Jean. Sitting in a room away from Armin with barely anything to do was worse than torture if you'd asked him.

His mother came to find him first, tears already forming in her eyes, she took him by the arm and led him to the chapel. Jean felt his heart race, everything over the past six months had led to this moment, after this he would be bound to Armin, for the rest of his life. It was finally time.

The doors to the chapel swung open, and Jean heard the sound of the organ begin to play Canon in D, but time seemed to stop when he saw Armin standing at the altar, dressed in a sharp tuxedo, much like his. Jean always loved Armin's hair, but seeing it pinned back in such a way that it moved your gaze towards his features nearly made Jean's heart stop.

Jean felt a lump form in his throat as he walked arm in arm with his mother, each step signifying a new life with Armin, all the memories they would share, the future they would have together. By the time Jean reached the altar, he was in tears. He crushed his mother in a meaningful hug, before going to stand beside his husband-to-be. Armin gave him a soft smile as he saw the tears of joy on Jean's face, despite the crying, Jean was as happy as he had ever been.

The minister began the wedding, his voice ringing out as Jean and Armin were bound to each other. Then, it came time for their vows to each other. Jean had practiced his in the mirror more times than he could count.

"Armin, I…" his mind went numb. All he saw was Armin's gaze, waiting for him to finish. The words that he had spent so long memorizing were gone in a flash, as Jean was at a loss for words. Someone in the pews coughed as they all waited for Jean to say something. Armin seemed to egg him on, but Jean just stared blankly, sweat forming on the edge of his brow.

"It seems Jean is a bit nervous, Armin, why don't you give yours first then." the minister said, trying to keep things moving along. Jean was grateful for it, but that did not stop the anxiety from seeping in his mind.

"Jean… I….." Armin too, seemed to have a hard time finding the right words "I can't marry you Jean."

Jean felt his heart drop into his feet, shattering into small pieces as it fell. His vision went blurry, as he thought he was imagining things.

"There's…. someone else." Armin confessed. Jean could hardly hear him, he felt a sensation of thousands of knives pierce his chest.

"I'm running off with Eren." Of course it was Eren, his childhood friend, who else could it be? "I… have other news as well." What more could Armin want?

"I'm pregnant with his baby and he's decided to quit his job as a stripper to support our family. Goodbye Jean."

"NOOOOO!" Jean cried out, as he bolted upright in bed.

"Jean! Oh my God, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Talk to me!" his worried fiance said, fussing over him.

"I…. it was a dream?" he said weakly, pain still resonating in his chest.

"Jean, what are you talking about? Did you have a nighmare?" his blond boyfriend asked softly, running his hand through Jean's messy hair.

"Armin, I need to know one thing." Jean said, his voice hoarse and full of worry.

"Anything…" Armin said, trailing kisses along his jawline.

"You're not pregnant with Eren's unborn child are you?"

"Jean, are you fucking serious?" Armin asked, pulling away from his kisses.

"I'm serious! That was the worst nightmare I've ever had in my life." Jean said, his voice still mildly drawled out from sleep.

"Oh my God you're so hopeless. How I ever fell in love with you I will never understand."

"But you love me right? You wouldn't run off with that prick Jaeger would you?" Jean asked sleepily. Armin dropped onto his chest in exasperation.

"Jean you are the biggest idiot I've ever known." Armin said, going back to kissing Jean.

"But… what if he tried to do something to you."

"Jean just shut up." Armin decided he was done with Jean, and rolled over so that he could curl into Jean's side. "Go back to sleep, you don't want to be tried for our wedding tomorrow, do you?" but before Armin could finish his sentence, Jean's loud snoring had started back up as he fell back asleep.


	6. Day 6: Accident

"Oy, Armin, did you understand any of that?" Jean said after catching him leaving the classroom. They were headed to 3DMG training next, and Eren had walked off with Mikasa, leaving Armin to his own thoughts. That was until Jean came along.

"Yes, it's fairly simple once he explained how the gas propellers work to project the grappling hooks out at such a speed that they manage to latch on to something. I never would have imagined that something so simple as a gas could be so vital to aiding our fight against titans, ya know?" Armin rambled, getting a little too excited about learning so much. Jean simply stared with a blank expression.

"I think I got at least some of that… But anyway, Armin do you think you could help me out later today, once we get back to the cabins?" Jean asked.

"Well, I don't know, Eren was also needing help with his…" Armin said offhandedly.

"I'll help you with the 3D gear!" Jean said, like he was going to let Jaeger steal Armin when he obviously needed the help more than he did.

"Sounds like a deal then. Meet me after dinner and I'll explain my notes." Armin said with a smile.

He knew that most of his other teammates disliked Jean, but Armin had actually become fond of him, in an odd sort of way. Yes, he did agree that Jean was conceited and narcissistic, but Armin saw that deep down, underneath his cocky exterior, Jean was truly skilled at what he did, and he did have the capacity to care deeply for people, but he just didn't want others to see it. This brought the scene when Jean's mother visited to mind, and Armin laughed at how much of a momma's boy he actually was.

"What are you smiling about?" Jean asked. Armin bit back his smile.

"Oh nothing, I just remembered the time when your mother came to visit." Armin said as if it was nothing. He bit back laughter as Jean's face turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Tch, that was a long time ago." Jean said angrily.

"Jean, that was two months ago."

"So! Come on, I don't want to be late to training." Jean said with a huff.

xxxxx

"Ok, so do you get it now Jean?" Armin asked, organizing the day's notes into a pile with the others.

"Yeah, I really owe you one Armin." Jean said with a genuine smile. Armin's heart soared, maybe most people saw Jean as an asshole, but he had been just perfect during their study session, paying attention well and taking his own notes, Armin couldn't help but feel a bit of pride at the progress they had made.

"I'm glad to help, don't tell him I said this, but you're a better student than Eren is sometimes." Armin whispered. Jean's jaw dropped in surprise.

"No way, what, does he like drool on his notes?" Jean joked.

"Well sometimes there is drool on them, yes. Mostly he just tends to get frustrated, or he'll get really distracted." Armin replied. Jean wore a huge smug smile, and Armin knew that even though he said "don't tell him" Jean was going to rub it in his face the next time he saw Eren.

"So, I know it's late, but I heard that Shadis was going in to town tonight, that means we could sneak out and go practice, if you still want to." Jean said. Armin stopped, yes, he had wanted Jean's help with the 3D gear, he was one of the best when it came to maneuvering, but practicing so late? Every one of Armin's instincts was telling him no, but the trace of mischief he saw in Jean's eyes, lit something inside of him, and he found he could not say no.

"Okay." Armin said, and although he would never admit it out loud, breaking the rules with Jean made him feel excited and giddy, the likes of which he hadn't felt since the fall of Wall Maria.

xxxxx

"Alright, do you have it all set up Armin?" Jean asked, standing in front of the training field next to Armin. The boy in question fiddled with his equipment for a moment longer before giving Jean a thumbs up.

"Now, just a quick thing, before I set out, I like to picture in my head exactly where I want to go, can you see it?"

"Yeah." Armin replied.

"Once you've got that, you just have to go!" Jean said, taking off with a running start. Armin, not going to be left behind, ran after him, picturing the spot right next to him, in-between two trees.

Jean grinned in front of Armin as he caught up, then Jean changed direction and turned left.

"It's best to lean into the direction of your turn, but too much can be bad. Just lean a bit to help balance it out." Jean called behind him. Armin did as he said, changing directions with him and leaning, and sure enough, Armin found he was able to switch directions much faster.

"Got it?" Jean asked as Armin caught up beside him.

"Yeah, what else did you have in mind?" Armin asked.

"Well if you're going to want to take down a titan you should know how to shift your balance even more than that. Now this is harder, but I used it the other day on one of the dummies, and it worked perfectly. Watch me." Jean said, before retracting his hooks and shooting them again above him, before shooting them in a tree closer to them, and Armin watched as Jean flew at amazing speeds, before coming to rest on top of a branch.

"Do you think you can try that Armin?" Jean called after him. Armin focused, just as Jean said. He retracted the hooks, shot them back out, then again closer, and found himself moving faster than he had before, but instead of landing on the branch gracefully like Jean had, Armin had the wind knocked out of him as he hit the branch straight on.

"Armin!" Jean called out, and rushed to his friend's side. "Are you okay? Does it hurt? Did you break anything?"

"No," Armin coughed hoarsely. "I'm okay, it was just an accident anyway. I'll be fine, the wind got knocked out of me is all." Jean seemed to let out all the air in his lungs, and sat there with Armin.

"Thank you Jean." Armin said, discreetly trying to scoot closer to him.

"It's no problem, you helped me with the smart stuff, it's the least I can do right? It's not your fault that you were born a bit smaller than the rest of us." Jean said with what Armin could only describe as affection. He knew that Jean didn't get along with most of the others in the squad, and for him to speak so kindly to Armin did a number in his chest. Of course that could have been the tree as well.

"Yeah, it sure hasn't been easy, that's for sure. At least you're tall." Armin said, to which Jean laughed.

"Sure, but I'm not as tall as Bertholt, have you even seen that guy? He'd give that colossal titan a run for it's money." he joked, earning an amused laugh from Armin that made his heart skip a beat.

"Hey Armin," Jean said, almost in a trance as the moonlight shone down onto Armin's features, outlining them with his golden hair that lit up like a halo. It took a second to regain his composure before he could finish his statement, "you know, you're really learning fast. Do you wanna try taking down one of the dummies? First one to find the one by the edge of the trees gets to have tomorrow's dinner!" Jean challenged, Armin grinned, jumping off and soaring off before Jean could do so much as smirk. With Jean's natural ability to maneuver the gear, it took him no time to catch up to Armin.

Jean found himself distracted once again by Armin as he soared freely, not a care in the world, golden hair blowing away from his face, finally giving Jean a clear view of Armin's gentle features and bright blue eyes, alight with excitement.

"Come on Kirschtein, having a hard time keeping up?" Armin joked as he turned a corner before Jean, gaining the lead.

"Oh you wish!" Jean teased back, utilizing all his skills to pull ahead once more. As they reached the last stretch of their race, Jean found himself neck and neck with Armin. What Jean failed to realize, was that Armin was a tactical genius. He had not been so innocent to Jean's gazes, so he knew that with one well-placed distraction, he could easily win the race.

As they made the last turn, Armin made sure his angle put him right up next to Jean, and he placed a kiss on Jean's cheek with a loud smack. This caused Jean to lose his balance, knocking into Armin. With the velocity from their turn, Armin found himself spinning around Jean as their lines got tangled. Jean was flipped upside down, then back up again, and Armin let out a small squeak as the wires got wrapped around them both, and left them both hanging from a tree tied together.

Both of them tried struggling, but it was fruitless. They couldn't unclasp their harnesses, or plummet twenty feet to the ground. Jean and Armin were stuck. To make matters worse, Armin was nose to nose with Jean, both of their faces painfully red. Armin was the first to find his voice, he spoke with a shy smile and an awkward laugh,

"Uh… It was an accident."


	7. Day 7: Lost Together

**A/N: These were all finished a while ago, but I just now got around to posting the rest of them. My apologies. This one contains character death and angst, but it ends happily I swear. In case any of you want to, my tumblr is aceofheartts.**

**Day 7: Lost Together**

**xxx**

Everything was a blur, voices shouting, titans rampaging, Eren's titan roared once, and then Jean felt everything go silent. His vision blacked out, the voices were gone, and all his worries vanished with it. The hard ground underneath him became light, his body soaked in blood felt clean, it was as if all that was wrong, became right, and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

"Jean! Oh God, you can't… no…" Armin's broken voice stirred Jean from the peace he was in. He opened his eyes and saw a battered Armin crouching over him, tears cascading down his face.

"No!" Armin cried out, his voice cracking as sobs took him once more.

"See, Armin, I'm fine! I'm right here!" Jean tried to speak, but Armin couldn't hear him.

"Please, I've lost everyone else, please not you too." Armin cried softly, cradling Jean's head in his hands, pulling him into his chest.

"No!" Armin cried once more, his voice breaking into a million pieces.

"Armin I'm right here! Can't you hear me? The war is finished, can't you feel it?" Jean spoke into Armin's chest. Determined to make the boy hear him, Jean stood up and tried jumping around, but he dropped to his knees in horror.

Jean had indeed stood up, but his body had remained clutched in Armin's grasp. He watched as Armin rocked back and forth, sobbing with his head buried against Jean's limp corpse.

"I'm… dead?" Jean's voice cracked, as he felt hot tears on his cheek. He couldn't leave Armin, not after everything they've been through. He rushed to Armin and wrapped his arms around him, but found that he couldn't feel the warmth of Armin's touch, his arms just slipped through as if they were mist.

"I'm so sorry Armin." he spoke to Armin, sitting down beside him. He couldn't watch Armin cry over his death, so he sat with his back to Armin. "I didn't want you to find me like this. Everything we've been through, titans, military police, hell, even the king himself. We lost so many, I just hoped that we could be together, even in death." Jean felt more tears fall. "It was so selfish of me to think that we could be together in a world like this."

Jean looked up and saw in the distance, a small tan speck, racing towards them, followed by other specks. Titans.

"Hey, Armin, I know you can't see this, but I think I know what that is, you need to get out of here." Jean's words were useless, Armin couldn't hear him anyway. "Armin leave my body and save yourself! There's an abnormal, it's getting closer!"

Armin couldn't hear him, and was to distraught to do anything other than hold Jean close, one of the best friends he had. Eren was there, sure, but it was Jean who had become his rock, always there, never faltering. it was Jean who had helped him cope with his first kill, and all those that followed it.

Jean cried out and yelled at Armin to escape, but Armin's grief had frozen him to the spot. Jean knew that Armin had to have felt the footsteps as they got closer, they were like thunder, but it was too late. Armin only had time to turn around, before the titan itself was too close.

"ARMIN!" Jean cried out, fretting around Armin's body, broken and bloodied against his. Without touch, Jean could do nothing as he watched the life leave his friend's eyes.

"Not you too, not like this." Jean cried, pounding the ground with his fists. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!"

"Jean, why…. why are you shouting?" Armin said softly, propping himself up on his arms. He looked over and saw Jean having a near-breakdown. "What's wrong?"

"You… you…" Jean couldn't finish. It hit Armin all at once, he looked down and saw their bodies, broken and covered in blood.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Jean said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What happens now?" Armin said, approaching Jean with caution.

"I don't know." Jean reached his hand out to Armin, he nearly cried with relief as he felt Armin's hand. Without another word, he pulled Armin into his chest for a crushing, long bear hug. Jean wrapped his arms around Armin, and in turn Armin hid his face in the crook of Jean's neck. They stayed like that for a while. Titans roamed around them, but Armin and Jean were invisible.

"Hey Armin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember telling me about the outside world, how there were huge lakes full of salt water, places where ice was everywhere, fire comes out of hills?" Armin turned to look up at him, hope in his big blue eyes as he nodded his head.

"The titans can't see us now, we could go see it for ourselves, what do you say, you and me go get lost together in the outside world?" Jean said, intertwining his fingers with Armin's. Jean's words had rendered Armin speechless, but Jean could tell how badly Armin wanted it.

So they walked. They walked for days to reach Wall Maria, but to them it felt like no time at all. They crossed the smashed gate into Shingashina, Armin's hometown.

They walked around the city a bit, visiting Armin's old home, and all the places he knew as a kid.

"I never thought I would see this place again…" Armin said. Jean smiled.

"Let's go find out what's beyond those walls huh? Our whole lives we've stayed inside the walls, but I guess, even though we're not alive, we can go." Armin pulled Jean as he ran to the smashed gate of Shingashina, before they were both running alongside each other.

They passed under the gate where so many years ago, the colossal titan had broken it down, sending their entire world into chaos. Hand in hand, they ran through the gate, out into the world beyond.

As they passed the gate and ran into the field outside, they both took a second to lie down in the grass, looking up at the sky above them. It might have been a trick, but Jean felt the sun beat just a bit warmer, the grass felt softer, and the wind was stronger.

They laid there together, basking in the light of the sun.

"We're free Armin, I've never felt more free in my life."

"This is the best feeling ever, the sun, the wind, it's so much more out here, I feel like if I was a bird, I could fly."

"Come on, now you're just being ridiculous." Armin simply laughed at Jean's reply.

"Whatever, I just feel, at peace. I mean, I know they're still fighting back there, but at the same time, it's like I can just be free for once, you know?" Armin rambled, turning to look at Jean, scooting closer to him.

"Yeah, I feel it too. Even though they're still fighting, we're done. Out time is up." Jean said. "Come on, let's keep going, we still gotta find the huge lake right?" Armin nodded, and took Jean's hand to pull himself up. Instead of just letting it go, Jean held it tight. Armin looked at him and smiled. That was the interesting thing about peace, it gave you this feeling of euphoria that made you invincible. Armin felt free, there was nothing stopping him from holding Jean's hand, so why wouldn't he?

Jean smiled, and they continued on, hands binding them together on their trip. They walked for days more, through forests, past rivers, and endless plains. Armin stopped to watch every bird, every animal, even some of the bugs. They farther they walked, the more the wildlife changed. The birds were more colorful, the animals were different, and the insects were more numerous as well. They did run into titans occasionally, but they became much less of a bother since Jean and Armin were invisible to them.

Then, after about two weeks of traveling, they saw it. Jean found it first, stumbling through a group of bushes, he found himself tumbling down a hill, and onto a grainy, tan colored land. When he looked up, he saw an expanse of water, going past the horizon, and as far in either direction as he could see. He was speechless, the sparkle of the water from the reflection of the setting sun illuminated it in such a way that Jean found himself in awe.

"Hey Jean, what's taking so…." Jean heard Armin behind him trail off into a gasp. Armin came down the hill more gracefully than Jean and stood next to him, marveling in the view.

"It's real." he said. "It's real Jean! Wait, no I gotta see if it's really salt!" Armin took off running, somewhere along the way losing his boots, jacket, and cloak. Jean followed him and watched as Armin took a sip of the water, only to spit it right back out.

"No way, it's really, really salty Jean! Try some!" Armin said, splashing around like a child in the water. Smiling, Jean threw off his boots, jacket, and cloak as well, joining Armin in the water. It was cool to the touch, the sand underneath his toes squished around.

"Look, it's almost like it's breathing." Armin said, watching the tide wash in and out. Jean watched as it came in once more, and then receded back.

"But how can water be salty?" Jean asked, bending down to take a sip, and much like Armin, he spit it back out in disgust.

"It's salty Armin! The water is salty, how can it do that?" Jean said with a laugh.

"I don't know! But it feels so good!" Armin said, falling back into the water with a splash. Jean followed, wading in the cool ocean water, sitting next to where Armin was floating.

"It's beautiful Jean, I can't believe I'm finally seeing this."

"I can't either, you've been waiting your entire life to see it, it's amazing." but when Jean spoke the last part, he wasn't necessarily talking about the ocean. His eyes were locked on to Armin, his blonde hair blowing gently in the wind, dripping wet with salt water, eyes alight with excitement and joy. Armin turned around to look back at him, neither of them able to contain their happiness.

Their battle against the titans was over, they would never again have to live behind a wall, they were free.

"So, you guys made it after all huh?" spoke a voice from behind Jean and Armin. They both wheeled around at the voice, and saw Marco, standing in the light with a huge grin on his face. "Sorry you had to come so soon, but you both were heroes, you deserved better."

"Marco!" they both called, rushing out of the water to wrap him in a wet, salty hug.

"You've been watching us then?" Jean asked, finally breaking from their hug.

"Bits and pieces, if I'd have known how much good you guys were doing, I would have joined you, but things happen." Marco shrugged. "By the way, there are some others here to see you as well."

"Mom? Dad?" Armin whimpered, looking behind Marco. "Grandpa?" Three forms appeared on the beach behind Marco, and Armin rushed to join them in a huge hug, more tears streaming down his face.

"I haven't lost anyone else though, it's just me." Jean said, watching Armin reunite with his family.

"It's good to see you again Jean, I'm not happy to see you dead, but I'm glad you could at least live for some time with those you love." Marco said with a smile, directing that last word towards the blond.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't even see you, no one did. We all missed you Marco."

"Hey, you know, things happen, not everyone gets the heroic death like you do. Besides, eventually, you'll see them all again." he said, and like that, Jean saw fallen members of the Scouting Legion behind him, none of which he knew very well, but he knew names, respected members that had fallen.

"So, this is where we go on right? To what ever lies beyond this?" Jean asked, Armin joining him once more.

"Yes. Of course, you are allowed time on Earth to explore if you wish, but anytime you wish to move on, just find us, and we'll take you home."

Jean looked at Armin, if they went with Marco, to where ever it was that the fallen went, they would see everyone that had died. Both of them knew the answer however, with the whole world ahead of them, full of iced lands, fiery mountains, mountains higher than the eye could see, forests unseen by humans, there was only one option in their minds.

"I think we might do some traveling, go see the world a bit." Jean answered, wrapping his arm around Armin and pulling him close.

"I agree, there's a whole world out there. If you find Eren, just tell him where to find us, it was always a dream of ours to explore the world together."

"Awww… but Armin I don't want Eren to come!"

"You hush, if anyone from the squad finds you first, tell them to join us."

"But Armin!"

"Traveling the world, that sounds like the plan to me." Armin said, looking up at Jean fondly. Jean refused to return the affection, plastering a stubborn, falsely angry expression that melted as Armin kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, who even cares who joins us." Jean decided, grabbing Armin's jaw and kissing him properly, in the light of the sunset. Armin pulled away first.

"Later Jean. Marco, thank you. You don't want to see the world?"

"No, I'm quite content where I am, you two go on your honeymoon, you know where to find us. I wish you two happiness." Marco waved once, and then disappeared, leaving Jean alone with Armin on the beach.

"So what do you say we pick back up where we left off?" Jean said suggestively, laughing as Armin blushed furiously.

"Later! I wanna relax right now, we're surrounded by water Jean! Salt water! And who knows what's beyond here, there could be anything!"

"Yeah, let's explore this world, the both of us." Jean said, pulling Armin close, despite Armin's pleas to play in the ocean. Armin relaxed in his arms, love suddenly filling every inch of him.

"Together."


End file.
